ICC Note: American-Iranian Pastor Saeed Abedini remains held in an Iranian prison. While the United States has been actively reviving negotiations with Iran in regards to its nuclear program, the issue of Saeed’s release has not been perceived as a priority by the White House or State Department.
By Michael Carl
01/22/2014 Iran (WorldNetDaily) – A Texas congressman charges the State Department is mishandling the case of American pastor Saeed Abedini, who is being held in an Iranian prison.
Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said federal officials appear to be using quiet diplomacy in Abedini’s case.
That approach, he contends, is the opposite of what should be done.
“The State Department almost universally when it’s a hostage situation, and this is really what it is, [stays] quiet for fear of doing harm. And I think it’s the exact opposite. When you stay quiet, you will cause harm, and it doesn’t raise the problem to the people who are in charge,” he said.
Stockman said the Iranians originally intended to use the pastor as a “bargaining chip.”
“You know, we had some of their officers in the Quds Force, and the Iranians were going to bargain for their release. But apparently, the Obama administration while negotiating just traded the prisoners without getting anything in return, which kind of surprised the Iranians,” Stockman said.
“Normally there’s an exchange and we got nothing in return, when in reality we should have pushed for the release of the pastor,” said the congressman.
…
“The U.S. government historically has downplayed human rights issues vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran, focusing instead on terrorism and the nuclear buildup,” Pipes said.
He said it adds a burden for citizen groups.
“This leaves NGOs in the unenviable position of trying to raise human rights issues, which are largely ignored by Tehran. Unless Washington and the other powers include human rights, this will not change,” Pipes said.
Daniels believes NGOs and the U.N. could play a role.
“There may be steps remaining for pushing for international bodies to review his case for what appear to be irregularities and a violation of international norms. While these may not be binding measures, it could force Iran to give an account for the charges on which Saeed is being held and could lead to an avenue by which his conviction or sentencing could be overturned,” Daniels said.
However, Daniels noted actions on the non-governmental level have had little impact on Iran.
“Many of these options have been pursued to no avail, but the injustice in this case demands that the efforts to see his release come should continue. While it appears that the huge amount of effort so far has fallen on deaf ears, it is important to remember that God, who ultimately moves on these decisions, does hear. So the appeals before that throne should continually be made by His people,” Daniels said.
Sekulow believes that reaching out to corporations that do business in Iran could become an avenue to build more interest in Abedini’s case.
…
[Full Story]